By Cudjoe Kpor
The 120,827 registered voters in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area (LGA) of Bayelsa State will vote Saturday, January 9 for either of two front-runners to become governor-elect today.
Either incumbent Governor Seriake Dickson of the peoples Democratic Party (PDP) continues in office or the leading challenger among the 21 opposition candidates, Chief Timipre Sylva of All Progressives Congress (APC) will topple the government with a foreseeable upset victory.
So far, Dickson has 105,748 votes from winning six of the seven LGs whose results were declared. Sylva got 72,594 votes, a difference of 33,154 votes and won Brass LG only. The 120,827 registered voters, or the number accredited with permanent voter cards to vote, will decide on the victorious candidate in the keenly-contested neck-and neck race.
Mr Femi Lawson, National Convener, #SaveSouthernIjaw Campaign for peaceful supplementary election in Southern Ijaw Local Government, on Friday in Abuja asked Nigerian leaders at all levels to protect the nation’s democracy with free, fair and credible elections anchored on fairness and justice.
Nelson told newsmen during its #SaveSouthernIjaw Campaign Sit-Out advocacy at the Unity Fountain: “The government must criminalize rigging and electoral violence as a way of safeguarding our democracy. We restate that election is not war and not a do-or-die affair.”
Still, widespread violence and electoral malpractices across the Southern Ijaw LGA during the December 5 and 6 elections necessitated the cancellation of the results. Thus, the question arises: Can the police guarantee that violent, disruptive thugs would keep their peace this time? In other words, will voters cast their votes in a civilised, peaceful atmosphere devoid of intimidation and harassment?
The election-related violence in Nembe and Ekeremor local governments on Friday served as precursors of apprehension to raise the question as to whether Nigerian Police Force, sitting atop NSCDC, the military task force and other security agencies can guarantee the peaceful atmosphere for INEC to conduct credible elections with acceptable results in the largest local government of the state.
For instance, in Nembe, three PDP supporters were critically injured in a shootout with unidentified gunmen, with scanty details till now. Again, in Ekeremor, all hell was let loose when suspected ex-militants attacked Mr Boyelayefa Debekeme, former Speaker of the Bayelsa Assembly, in company of Billy Tobiye, Chairman of Ekeremor LG; Tams Alari, the PDP ward agent, among other party members along with the traditional ruler of Ekeremor, HRH Agbodo Gbaseimo at the Governor’s Lodge.
No wonder, as usual, speculation is rife that compromised policemen and other security agents will turn blind eyes while hired thugs, hoodlums and other riffraff paid by illiterate godfathers of some candidates spread mayhem in the local government. Then the confederates of the godfathers would cook up figures and declare unpopular candidates winners.
There were some electoral hitches in about 101 polling units on December 5 and 6. But results were declared in all the seven other local governments. However, the widespread disruptions in South Ijaw LG made INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner Baritor Kpagih cancel the December results, declared the poll inconclusive and set the ground rules for today’s supplementary.
The Inspector General of Police Solomon Arase has deployed DIG Hashimu Argungun, AIG Musa Daura of Zone 5, Benin, three commissioners of police to supervise the supplementary poll. Other plainclothes detectives, well-armed anti-riot policemen from Mobile Police Unit and other specialised officers in aerial surveillance helicopters, gun boats, speed boats, among others, with no fewer than 5,000 uniformed officers will form the civil security architecture for the poll.
So, hopefully, the problems of violence, ballot box-snatching and hostage-taking of election officials will be minimized, or eliminated today.
For, INEC must cancel the results as many times as necessary for credible election to be confirmed. Cancellation of results frustrates both the candidates and their supporters alike. So, the police must guarantee the atmosphere conducive to free and fair voting because of the prime importance of free and fair election in a democratic society.
So the hope is the police are set to end all Election Day shenanigans within the perimeters of polling units and, if possible, including non-violent falsification of results at the collation centres which trigger violence on announcement and all the associated vices which make a mockery of elections in Nigeria.
When uninformed protesters accuse INEC of disenfranchising voters by not protecting lives and election materials for peaceful elections, their accusations must rather point fingers at the police and their ancillary security agencies: It is the police’s duty to guarantee the peaceful environment for INEC to conduct elections.
All said and done, Timipre Sylva and Seriake Dickson would know their fate today, which of them would get the voters’ mandate to occupy Government House, Yenagoa.
But if the police fail to guarantee peaceful, harmonious environment for election, there is nothing INEC can do except cancel results one more time – and it may not be the last.
